{Prologue- A Little Back Story}

     There hasn't been one single day where that incident did not come back to haunt me. It invades my dreams. If it doesn't, I feel as if i had re-lived it. I'd see things.

"On 24 January 1999, a father and son were in a car accident.

The son has since gone missing, his dad claims that his son was right next to

him when it happened. 14 years past and he is still missing.

However the dad has not given up."

     My name is Yoo Youngjae.

     and I am the missing son.

     Let me tell you what happened in the memory that i can never forget.

24th January 1999

"Happy Birthday to you~ Happy Birthday to you~ Happy Birthday dear Youngjae~Happy Birthday to You~"

     As I made my wish and blew out the candles, I heard applause from the people surrounding me.

     Back then I really didn't know what I was thinking, or saying.

     I wish I could read people's minds.

     Never before have I believed that wishes came true.

     But mine did -and I wish it hadn't.

    Because eventually ... it turned into a curse

++

     After my birthday party ended, everyone left. My parents asked if I had a good birthday, and I responded with a big smile.

     "Our baby is growing up so fast," my mom spoke as tears start to well up slowly in her eyes. She pecked me a goodnight kiss and tucked me into bed.

     "Sleep well, darling."

++

     10 minutes later, I heard a gunshot.

     I heard my door creak.. I opened one of my eyes ever so slightly to see the outline of my dad's figure in the dark.

     Time to go for a little ride, my dad calmly spoke in his head. I was so confused at that time. I heard his voice, yet I knew he was not speaking.

     My dad lifted me up, and walked out of my room. I pretended that I was sleeping, but I wanted to see what was going on, so I peered down, only to see a pool of blood and my mom.

     My mom's blood

     --my mom is dead.

     I looked up to my dad's face, and saw splashes of blood on his face.

     No one will ever find out I did it,

     My eyes opened wide

++

     I was thrown into the trunk of my dad's car. I grew scared as I couldn't breathe properly. Not knowing know what to do in this situation also contributed. It felt like weeks being stuck in that suffocating trunk of the car, driving me to god knows where. I feel the car come to a stop, and I immediately tried to open the trunk.

     Good thing he didn't lock it.

     But then I did something so stupid.

     I ran up to my dad.

     My small feet landed on the road and led me to the window of the driver's seat. Ignoring the loud honks of the cars surrounding us, the red streetlights, and the cold, rock hard ground which my bare feet were stepping on. I made eye contact with my dad who was inside the car, he looked like the Devil with his twisted expression and blood-spattered face.

     I was absolutely terrified.

     My natural instincts told me to run. I ran like there was no tomorrow, running past the streets and into the woods. I hid under a bush, seeking solace. As I was shivering, I heard my dad's voice,

     “No matter where you're hiding son, I can kill you on the spot," he chuckles,"Let's make this a challenge. I'll let you grow up until you mature. 10 years should be enough, correct? You ruined my plan, so I will ruin yours. --! The cops! Yoo Youngjae, no matter where you are, your dad will always be a step ahead of you”

     What plans? My plans on living?

     The fast-paced foot steps were coming closer and closer. My poor tiny heart almost stopped beating, but luckily the hurried footsteps belonged to my dad and it started to fade as he tried to evade the police. I continue to clench my clothes, hiding underneath the bush. It was only until I heard another pair of feet walking around. My uneducated brain thought it was help, so I frantically revealed my face to this stranger.

     The stranger loaded and pointed his gun at me and that's when I snapped. I was a five year old that wanted to play with my toys and feel my mom's warm, now non-existent, embrace. I am cold, tired and scared.

     I started crying uncontrollably.

     "I was sent out here to kill this murderer's son. However, when I found him, it's just a teeny weeny toddler," the stranger begins. "Tell me, how old are you?" as he crouched down to my eye level.

     Too caught up with my tears, I weakly hold up five fingers.

     "Well, lookie here. This kiddo is merely five years old!"

     I stopped crying and stared at the stranger with the gun.

     He stares back and puts down his gun.

    "I was called here to assassinate you, but I'm not going to do that," he tells me.

     Assassinate? What does that even mean?

     "What do you say, want to become my son and live with me?" he asks.

     Unable to comprehend what this man was saying, I started to bawl once again.

     "I-I want mommy!" I cried.

     The only thing the man did was stare back with his pity-filled eyes because he knew, I had no more "mommy".

     "Come with me! I have a daughter that I'm sure you'll get along with," he says, trying to calm me down.

     I cry louder, praying that my mom could miraculously hear me and pick me up to take me home,

     "I have a lot of toys!" he smirked.

     At "toys", I stopped crying.

     "What do you say, kiddo? Want to play with toy cars? Pokemon? Robots? Legos? I have everything!"

     I let out a few sniffs. The man reaches to pick me up. My frail body is too tired to fight back and I slowly start falling asleep with my head on his shoulder.

     What a pity. His dad's a motherer, I heard him think before I fall into a deep sleep.

     A typical young child would get scared by his "bad" words, but I smiled.

     At least I had someone.

24th January 2009

     "It should be time soon, why am I even alive?" I ask myself.

"If you have any connection with Mr. Yoo's lost son, please contact

010-xxx-xxxx or email [email protected]. Mr. Yoo is desperately

looking for his lost son, he has even stated that his son means the

entire world to him."

     The news and media are telling the truth --sort of.

     My dad has not given up searching for me.

     So that he can kill me.

     My name is Yoo Youngjae

     I am 16 years old

     and I am about to die.